OVARIAN CANCER

In 2016, I was diagnosed with stage IIIB ovarian cancer. It took my medical team more than two years to figure out what was wrong with me. In 2019, I had a spread of my cancer to my chest. It turned out to be a different sub-type of ovarian cancer and I was restaged as stage IV. Over the past nine years, I have heard many stories similar to mine. I have met women who knew something was wrong with them and they felt like no one was listening. They received diagnoses of irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, urinary tract infection, diverticulitis, chronic fatigue, and even suggestions of mental health issues—no one suspected ovarian cancer. In her lifetime, a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer is 1 in 8—ovarian cancer is 1 in 78.  With no screening tests for ovarian cancer, by the time most women are diagnosed, they have stage III or IV cancer with a 5-year survival rate of less than 39% for stage III and 17% for stage IV.  Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. 

Breast cancer’s color PINK is everywhere helping to raise awareness about the disease. Ovarian cancer’s color is TEAL and is virtually nowhere to be found.  If I asked the next ten women I meet what the symptoms of ovarian cancer are, I would be surprised if any one of them could tell me. I would also be surprised if the next ten people working in the medical field could tell me the symptoms of ovarian cancer. This MUST change!

Some of the symptoms most frequently experienced with ovarian cancer include the following:

• Abdominal bloating, indigestion or nausea

• Changes in appetite…low of appetite or feeling full sooner

• Pressure in the pelvic area or lower back pain

• A more frequent or urgent need to urinate

• Changes in bowel habits

• Tiredness or low energy

TEAL on WHEELS has helped me to spread awareness about ovarian cancer across the United States. In 2019, I distributed 770 ovarian cancer awareness cards on my trip across the country to women I met along the way. By now, 2025, I have given out over 3,000 cards. My mission is to continue spreading awareness about ovarian cancer to women I meet each day.